Senate Indian Affairs Committee discusses environment change

The Senate Indian Affairs
Committee held a hearing on Thursday to discuss how changes in the environment are affecting American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities.

Native people often notice subtle changes in the climate before they are detected by scientists, said Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HawaiI), the chairman of the committee.
Some communities face a loss of traditional foods and their lands, witnesses noted.

Tribal leaders said their views are often ignored by federal agencies.
“You don’t listen to us when we talk,” observed Billy Frank Jr., the chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, McClatchy Newspapers reported.